Diplomacy - E-book - ePub

Diplomacy is a peaceful art used by States to maintain officialrelationships with other neighboring states. The development ofdiplomacy is parallel to the development of International Law. Diplomacy exists from the Ancient Era and can be dated to 1stBillion BC. With the advent of the Renaissance, the conceptof envoys was added, and diplomacy underwent huge changes, and with time, diplomacy became a distinct subject.
The mostchallenging phase in the development of the subject was duringthe 2nd world wars. However, diplomacy prevailed, and thegrowth continued. The era of globalization further entangleddiplomacy and the complex structure is rapidly developing asthe countries are preparing new methods of making diplomaticrelations. Presently, diplomacy exists in many forms and is oneof the primary tools of negotiation between nations in thesubject of International Law and a Barricade between peaceand law.
Summary Diplomacy or the art of negotiation has been in existence froma very ancient time. The era of 1st billion BC witnessed someof the drastic developments in the patterns of diploacy. Theearly Roman empires sent envoys to the neighboring empiresto extend cordial relations. Other early traces include the MiddleEast regions which were fast emerging. Treaties began to bedrafted between many Mesopotamian states and 'Akkadian' ormore popularly known as 'Babylonian' was developed as thefirst diplomatic language.
The language was spread throughoutthe Middle East and was later replaced by Aramaic. With thedevelopment of Islamic States, the concept of diplomacyflourished and became a tool for promoting international trade. The European States which were under the control of theRoman Empire, on the other hand, witnessed the breakup ofthe Empire and the resultant was the division into many smallKingdoms. These kingdoms continued the practice of exchangingdiplomats as a method of peacekeeping.
Another commonpractice was the system of appointing temporary diplomats bythe Kingdoms for temporary purposes. However, Italy was thefirst state to develop the system of permanent diplomats, andthis system has relevance in the modern day politics. The period of Renaissance bought with it the industrialrevolution which changed the notion of Entire Europe. Treatyof Westphalia signed in 1648 bought balance of power withinEurope making it mandatory for them to follow a system ofdiplomacy.
Later on, the French Revolution paved the way forthe system of 'Ambassadors' in European Nations. However, the Asian countries were unaware of the systematic diplomaticways, and it was the colonization of most of the Asian andAfrican countries by Britain, which introduced the concept tothem. Colonies practicing diplomacy were under the directcontrol of the Monarch (Britain), and Ambassadors wereappointed directly by the Queen (Sovereign Head).
TheAmbassadors thus enjoyed a special position and formed anelite group in their respective colonies. China presented one ofthe best examples to understand the role of theseAmbassadors. They acted in favor of the colony taking moretrading right and reported both to their local Government andthe Monarchial Government. These methods continued for long until diplomacy faced itsworth enemy in the form of the First World War whichaffected peace relations between nations considerably.